Brian McNaught Presented with Selisse Berry Leadership Award

Brian McNaught Presented with Selisse Berry Leadership Award

"Outie" will be presented at the 2011 Out & Equal Workplace Summit

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the leading nonprofit organization committed to ending workplace discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, announced today that Brian McNaught, the world's leading corporate diversity consultant dealing with LGBT issues in the workplace, is the recipient of the Selisse Berry Leadership Award.

The award, named in honor of Out & Equal's Founding Executive Director, Selisse Berry, will be presented to McNaught at the 2011 Out & Equal Workplace Summit on Thursday, October 27, 2011.

The Out & Equal Workplace Summit, taking place in Dallas, Texas from October 25-28, is the largest conference dedicated solely to LGBT workplace equality. The event draws close to 3,000 participants from 25 countries, including executives, human resource professionals, employee resource groups and individuals.

The Selisse Berry Leadership Award recognizes an exceptional individual whose visionary leadership, tireless efforts and remarkable accomplishments have been a critical contribution toward achieving LGBT workplace equality. In addition to leading change in the world of employment, this leader inspires countless individuals to champion the cause which is our vision: workplace equality for all inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, expression or characteristics.

"Brian McNaught has been working to help people to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by LGBT people in the workplace since 1974," said Kayla Shell, President of the Board of Directors at Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. "His work has reached hundreds of professional and university audiences and has been pivotal to changing how the corporate world views the LGBT community. We are proud to be able to honor him with this award."

"I am so pleased that Brian McNaught is being honored with this award," said Selisse Berry, Founding Executive Director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. "His work has been important, ground-breaking and invaluable. I am proud to consider him a peer and a friend."

Several members of the LGBT business community shared their endorsement:

"What Brian does better than anyone else on the planet, it is that he can help people not only embrace appropriate and respectful language when discussing things related to LGBT issues and community, but he consistently enrolls people as true allies who are committed to making a difference." - Deborah Dagit, VP and Chief Diversity Officer, Merck

"Simply put, in my view, we all stand on Brian McNaught's shoulders since he has personally crusaded this important work now for nearly 40 years," said Bob Witeck, CEO, Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. "It is no surprise the New York Times referred to him long ago as the 'godfather of gay sensitivity training.'"